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Rosaceae FAMILY

Aronia × prunifolia

Aronia × prunifolia

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Shrub
GrowthSlow

Plants are hardy to about -25°c[1]. An easily grown plant, succeeding in most, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. It prefers a moist peaty soil, but has a wide range of soil tolerance including boggy soils. It dislikes shallow soils over chalk[1, 2]. This genus is closely related to Sorbus species and has been shown to hybridize with them[1, 3]. A slow-growing plant[2]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1]. This species is a naturally occurring hybrid between Aronia arbutifolia and Aronia melanocarpa. It is fully self-compatible and has been able to spread beyond the range limits of at least one of its putative parents.[200 270].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in pots outdoors or in a cold frame[4]. Pre-soak stored seed overnight and then cold stratify for 3 months at 2°c[4]. The seed germinates in 1 - 3 months at 15°c[5]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant out in late spring. Although this species is of hybrid origin, it has been shown to breed true from seed[3, 2]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame[4]. Division of suckers in the dormant season[1]. Very easy, they can be planted straight out into their permanent positions. Layering[1]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Aronia+%C3%97+prunifolia>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects, Apomictic

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder — Missouri Botanical Garden · http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/ ↩︎Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
  3. [3]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  4. [4]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  5. [5]Growing from Seed. Volume 2. — Rice. G. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1988 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.
  6. [6]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  7. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎